The Ribeira district of Porto has, for two years, been watched over by 14 CCTV cameras, but this week the decision was taken to turn them off, despite the fact that locals said the cameras add to their sense of security.

The bars, cafés and restaurants in Ribeira – in the shadow of the Dom Luis II bridge – are a major tourist attraction, but also a magnet for addicts and beggars. The CCTV cameras were funded by the local association of bar owners (Bares da Zona Histórica do Porto – ABZHP) and a lack of resources, and the fact that the cameras cannot operate 24 hours a day, led to the decision to switch the cameras off.

National newspaper Jornal de Notícias said the decision was “irreversible”.